Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

From Paulo Coelho, author of the international bestseller The Alchemist, comes a poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life.

Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings . . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts.

Now they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties, as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling light of some of life's biggest questions.

Average Customer Rating:

This one was an all-nighter for me.	Customer Rating:
Why do I do this to myself? Why do I begin reading at 1 am when I've got to wake up at 8? Needless to say, waking up was easy when I never made it to sleep. This story pulled me right in. Worth the time, it was a quick read as well. I would have finished it faster but I enjoyed some pages so much I re-read them a couple of times. Thank you Mr. Coelho for this lovely book. I truly appreciated it.

Classic Coelho

Customer Rating:

One thing you will hear over and over is that once you pick up one book by Coelho, you end up reading them all. I, like so many, started with the Alchemist and was just blown away. I approached this book, as I do all of Coelho's creations, with anticipation and VERY high expectations. Anyone capable of the writing the Alchemist has the potential for great things. My anticipation was justified by this poignant, and very touching book. This is Coelho at his best. An intensely personal tale that must be read and lived

..sigh

Customer Rating:

Coelho is, hands down, my favorite author. After reading several of his novels, I couldn't wait to read this book. And I was not disappointed. Although there are countless formulas for writing love stories, somehow this book was different. I was captivated. Coelho has such an amazing way of expressing the character's feelings that you come to really know the characters in his stories. All of Coelho's novels have themes, this one being 'forgivness'. At first, I didn't really grasp why, but after reading it, I think its a story about forgiving yourself. Pilar (the main character in this story) takes you through a week that she spends with a childhood friend whom she hasnt seen in over a decade but happens to be in love with. During this week, Pilar experiences a huge 'ephinany' and begins to rediscover her faith. (I thought this novel focused a little to much on religion, but the concept of religion can be looked upon as a metaphor). When I finished the book, I literally sighed with relief. I'm not sure why. Coelho's language brings you into a completely alternate world than your own and makes you actually feel the character's feelings. READ THIS BOOK!!

LOVE IT!	Customer Rating:
I have this book since I am 16 years old. I've read it so many times and it always get me emotional... No matter what book they release, this is my FAVORITE BOOK EVER!

Poetic, Proseic, Imaginative, Spell Binding

Customer Rating:

Pilar grows-up becoming a lovely, strong independent woman! Her childhood friend has become some more handsome, charismatic spiritual leader, making use of his religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts. He is said to be one who is even able to heal persons! This lovely crafted story begins like a poetic narrative until Pilar is introduced to the gripping surprise of her lover having become a Seminarian. His whole life has been turned into an adventure shaped by his studies and new committment! When the italicised poetry becomes more narrative, the story moves more quickly and has numerous fascinating twists and turns. "It's risky falling in love." Their love simply moves gradually into new adventures and amzing enw pictures of their interesting culture! Although I had read early on THE ALCHEMIST by Coelho, this story grew more lovely and compelling the more I read. It is well-worth discovery as another winner by Paulo Coelho. In-spite of the reviews making far too much of its strong religion that Spanish flavor of Cathoicism is totally tempered by pictures of beautiful love-making! As I discovered after reading other stories of Authur Golden, Memoirs Of A GEISHA and Rosamunde Pilcher, The Shell Seekers this story seemed to stay with me longer to become another model of poetic beauty and pictures an eternal love spanning this world and the one of the Great-Not-Yet! Gratefully from Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood